CNN – A new daily record for the administration of Covid-19 vaccines was set on Friday, but many experts reiterate that the pandemic is far from over.
The total number of doses administered jumped about 3.38 million, according to a tweet from Covid-19 White House data director, Dr. Cyrus Shahpar.
This is the fourth time that the number of doses administered has jumped to more than 3 million on consecutive days. The previous record for a day was just over 3.2 million doses on March 13.
While the record is great news, it doesn’t mean the pandemic is over, experts say. Evidence that Americans are preparing for a return to normal life is becoming more apparent by the week.
States are relaxing capacity restrictions for public areas and private meetings. More school districts are reopening for face-to-face learning. Trips are increasing, with TSA data showing more than 1 million daily passengers at U.S. airports for two consecutive weeks, the longest period since the Covid-19 pandemic blockade in early 2020.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on the “Today” program on Thursday that the US “is still seeing about 1,000 deaths a day”, which she noted is a figure excessive.
As for the number of daily infections, Walensky said, “What worries me is the steady flow of 50,000, 60,000 – and we continue to see that today.”
Walensky pointed to the first signs that vaccines are working, citing reduced mortality rates for people over 65. Even more infectious variants of Covid-19 are circulating, she warned.
With some states seeing increases of at least 10% in the weekly average of cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, variants like B.1.1.7 can lead to an increased risk of exposure and a potential stagnation in the fight against Covid- 19.
“This tells us that when we have a more contagious variant that all bets are off, because it means that activities that we thought were low risk will now be high risk,” said CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen, Anderson Cooper, Thursday.
The variants also complicate treatments, as the use of certain monoclonal antibody therapies to treat Covid-19 has been discontinued due to reduced efficacy.
The focus now is to vaccinate enough Americans to prevent outbreaks of infections and hospitalizations.
Although there is optimism about vaccines across the country, with the Biden government setting a target of 200 million doses to be distributed in the coming weeks, there is an additional concern because the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are given in two delayed doses. This means that, at best, more time is needed before a return to normality can be achieved.
“For us to obtain collective immunity even at this rate, it will probably still take about five months, assuming that we can convince 70% of the population to get the injection,” said CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner. Erin Burnett on Thursday.
Even for those who are fully vaccinated, Wen said more precautions should be taken when interacting with others.
“We know that now, when there is such a high level of coronavirus circulating in our communities, that even people who are fully vaccinated where they are in public with others who have not been vaccinated, that the courteous and the right thing for them to do from the point infection control point of view is wearing a mask, “said Wen.
Warning signs remain as states increase vaccine eligibility
While states and vaccine distributors are pushing to inoculate as many adults as possible, the latest projection from the University of Washington is a reminder of what lies ahead for the nation.
At least 600,000 people will have been killed by Covid-19 by July 1, according to the university’s Institute for Health Assessment and Metrics, which means that about 59,000 people will die in the next three months. The IHME says that 10,000 lives could be saved if the use of the mask increases from the current rate of 75% to 95% of the population.
“Most states in the northern half of the country now have increasing transmission, with the most pronounced increases in Michigan. The increases are probably related to the combination of the spread of variant B.1.1.7 and recent increases in mobility,” he said.
With the increase in the supply of vaccines, states are opening the eligibility for more adults to receive the vaccines.
Minnesota, Connecticut, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Florida and California recently announced that adults of almost all ages will receive the green light for vaccination in mid-April.
Six states have already expanded the eligibility of the coronavirus vaccine to anyone aged 16 and over, according to a recent count by CNN, and at least another 26 plan to open it to people aged 16 and over by the end of April.
Vaccines for children are being tested
In the meantime, pharmaceutical companies are beginning to test the effectiveness of vaccinating children, which would be another layer of defense against an outbreak of infections, as school districts expect fully personal learning.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said at a Senate hearing last week: “We don’t really know what the magic point of collective immunity is, but we do know that if we vaccinate the overwhelming population, we will be in good shape. Ultimately, we would like and we would have to put the kids in that mix. “
Researchers at Duke University began testing the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine in children under the age of 12, the company told CNN on Thursday. At least two children have already received their first injection. Moderna last week announced its next phase in pediatric vaccine testing, enrolling children in the United States and Canada aged 6 months to 11 years.
Johnson & Johnson previously announced that it plans to start testing for those aged 12 to 18 and then add younger people to the tests.
Vaccination for pregnant women can also have benefits, as Dr. Wen told CNN on Thursday.
“There is accumulated evidence of the safety and efficacy of vaccines for pregnant women,” she said. “Initially in clinical trials, pregnant and lactating people were not included. But since then, thousands of pregnant women have chosen to get the vaccine.
“There have been no adverse safety signs or safety concerns in the thousands of women who have had the vaccine so far. And now there is growing evidence that they also mount a strong immune response that protects them. In fact, the antibodies produced seem to cross the placental barrier and are also secreted in breast milk and can protect the newborn, “said Wen.
“If I were pregnant now, I would discuss this with my doctor, but I would probably choose to get the vaccine.”